HOUSTON – A well-known Houston food blogger says what started as a close friendship ended with tens of thousands of dollars in financial loss — and a civil court judgment he has yet to collect.
Adrian Verde, known to his more than 150,000 Instagram followers as TheHoustonFoodie, says a man he considered a friend convinced him to help with what he described as a “locked” bank account.
“It felt like betrayal, because coming from a trusted friend, you would think, Hey, he’s not going to screw me over,” Verde said.
Verde says he met the man and the two quickly became close.
“We met at a bar just going out. We would always go out every weekend. We would go on trips together. So, over those six months, we became really good friends,” he said.
But in August 2024, Verde says the man contacted him claiming his bank account was frozen and he needed help moving funds.
“He told me his bank account was locked… and he needed help transferring the funds out. And the only way to transfer those funds out, according to him, was to pay off a credit card,” Verde said.
Verde says he used Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, and other third-party payment apps to make payments, with the understanding he would be reimbursed.
“Zelle, PayPal, all those third-party cash apps, Venmo. So, he was giving me the funds to pay down my credit cards from his supposed locked account,” he said.
In the lawsuit, Verde alleges the friend orchestrated “a calculated scheme” involving promises of repayment, temporary credits, and ongoing assurances that turned out to be false.
According to both Verde and Harris County court documents, credits that initially appeared valid were later reversed, leaving him responsible for the charges.
“I woke up one morning, woke up to $45,000 in chargebacks,” he said.
Verde says excuses piled up, including a fraudulent check — shown to KPRC 2 — that was drawn on a closed account. Verde sued in Harris County civil court, and the defendant never responded, leading to a default judgment.
A judge awarded Verde:
- $45,195.96 in economic damages
- $90,391.92 in exemplary (punitive) damages
- Additional attorney’s fees and pre-/post-judgment interest
Despite the judgment, Verde says he hasn’t received a single payment.
Verde also filed a report with Sugar Land Police. KPRC 2 went to two addresses listed in court documents — one was a restaurant, the other an empty, gated business.
His lawsuit states the defendant evaded service, with process servers unable to reach him at multiple known locations.
After Verde posted his story on Instagram, he says the response was overwhelming.
“It is actually mind-blowing how many people have come forward to me with their stories about this guy,” he said.
He says some claim they faced similar financial situations.
“People have come forward to me saying he defrauded them in real estate, like falsifying real estate documents to get approved for mortgage loans,” he said.
Verde says the experience has been tough, and he hopes speaking publicly encourages others to stay vigilant when it comes to money — even with people they believe they can trust.
“I’m just shocked with how long this has been going on for and how nothing has been done about it by the police,” he said.
KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner has contacted the defendant for comment. This story will be updated if we receive a response.